Chapter 6

Food must be purchased from an approved reputable supplier Food must be purchased from an approved reputable supplier. For suppliers to be considered so, they must meet the following criteria: Have been inspected and can show you an inspection report. Must meet all applicable local, state and federal laws

Your suppliers can include the following from the supply chain: growers, shippers, packers, manufacturers, distributors and local markets. You need to develop a relationship with the suppliers, get to know their food safety practices and consider reviewing their most recent inspection report.

The inspection reports can be from the USDA, FDA or a third party inspector. The inspection report should be based on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) or Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and review the following areas: Receiving and storage Processing Shipping Cleaning & Sanitizing Personal hygiene Staff training HACCP program or other food safety system

Suppliers must deliver food when staff has enough time to do inspections Schedule deliveries at a time when they can be correctly received

Make specific staff responsible for receiving Make specific staff responsible for receiving. Train them to follow food safety guidelines, which include checking items for: Correct temperatures Expired code dates Signs of thawing and refreezing Pest damage

Provide staff with the tools they need, including purchase orders, thermometers, and scales. Make sure enough trained staff are available to receive and inspect food items promptly.

Start by visually inspecting delivery trucks for signs of contamination Then visually inspecting the food items and checking to make sure they have been received at the correct temperature. Once inspected, food items must be stored as quickly as possible in the correct area, especially refrigerated and frozen items.

Some foodservice operations receive food after-hours when they are closed business, known as a key drop delivery The supplier is given a key or other access to the operation to make the delivery, and they put the product in the coolers, freezers and dry storage areas

If you must reject an item, set it aside from the items you are accepting and tell the delivery person exactly what’s wrong it. Make sure you get a signed adjustment or credit slip before giving the a item back to the delivery person. Log the incident on the invoice or the receiving document.

Occasionally you may be able to recondition and use items that would have been rejected. Example: a shipment of cans with contaminated surfaces may be cleaned and sanitized, allowing them to be used. HOWEVER, the same cans could not be reconditioned if the contamination was the result of damage to the cans (i.e. the can is bulging or dented)

Food items you have received may sometimes be recalled by the manufacturer. This may happen when food contamination is confirmed or suspected. It can also occur when items have been mislabeled or misbranded. Often food is recalled when food allergens have not been identified on the label. Most vendors will notify you of the recall. However, you should also monitor recall notifications made by the FDA and the USDA.

Identify the recalled food item by matching information from the recall notice. Remove the item from inventory, and place it in a secure and appropriate location. Label the item in a way that will prevent it from being placed back in inventory. Refer to the vendor’s notification or recall notice for what to do with the item.

Use thermometers to check food temperatures during receiving Meat poultry, and fish: Insert the thermometer stem or probe directly into the thickest part of the food. ROP Food (Vacuum packed and sous vide food)- Insert thermometer stem or probe between two packages. If the package can be folded, fold around the thermometer stem or probe. Other packaged food: Open the package and insert the thermometer stem or probe into the food.

Deliveries should also meet the following temperature criteria: Cold food: Receive at 41°F or lower Live shellfish: Receive at air temperature of 45°F and an internal temperature no greater than 50°F. Must be cooled to 41°F or lower in four hours. Shucked Shellfish: Receive at 45°F or lower. Cool the shellfish to 41°F or lower in four hours.

Shell eggs: Receive at an air temperature of 45°F or lower Milk: Receive at 45 F then cooled to 41 F or lower in four hours Hot food: Receive hot TCS food at 135°F or higher Frozen food: Should be frozen solid when received Reject frozen food for the following reasons: Fluids or water stains appear in case bottoms or on packaging There are ice crystals or frozen liquids on the food or the packaging. This may be evidence of thawing and refreezing, which shows the food has been time-temperature abused.

Both food items and nonfood items must be packaged correctly when you receive them. Items should be delivered with their original packaging and manufacturer label. The packaging should be intact, clean and protect food and food-contact surfaces. Reject food and nonfood items if packaging has any of the following problems:

Damage Reject items with tears, holes, or punctures in their packaging; reject cans with severe dents in the can seams, deep dents in the can body, missing labels, swollen or bulging ends, holes and visible signs of leaking or rust. Items with broken cartons or seals, or items with dirty and discolored packaging should be rejected Don’t accept cases or packages that appear to have been tampered with

Liquid Pests Dates Reject items with leaks, dampness or water stains Reject items with signs of pest or pest damage Dates Don’t accept food that is missing use-by or expiration dates from the manufacturer Reject items that have passed their use-by or expiration dates

Food items must be delivered with the correct documents Shellfish must be received with a shellstock identification tags. These tags indicate when and where the shellfish were harvested. They must be kept on file for 90 days from the date the last shellfish was used from its delivery container.

Fish that will be eaten raw or partially cooked must also be received with the correct documentation. These documents must indicate the fish was correctly frozen before you received it. Keep these documents for 90 days from the sale of the fish. If the fish was farm raised, it must have documentation that states the fish was raised to FDA standards. Documents must be kept for 90 days from sale of the fish. 90

Meat must be purchased from plants inspected by the USDA or a state department of agriculture. “Inspected” does not mean that the product is free of pathogens. It means that the product and processing plant have met defined standards. Carcasses and packages of meat that have been inspected will have an inspection stamp with abbreviations for “inspected and passed” by the inspecting agency, along with a number identifying the processing plant.

Liquid, frozen and dehydrated eggs Poultry Inspected by the USDA or the state department of agriculture in much the same way as meat Liquid, frozen and dehydrated eggs Must also have a USDA inspection mark. These types of eggs are required by law to be pasteurized. Grading stamps might also appear on packages of eggs, meat and poultry. Grading of these types of products is voluntary and paid for by the processors and packers

Reject food that is moldy or has abnormal color. Reject food that is received moist when it should be dry. Reject meat, fish, or poultry that is slimy, sticky or dry. Also reject it if it has soft flesh that leaves an imprint when you touch it. Reject food with an abnormal or unpleasant odor.

Certain types of food have specific criteria for accepting or rejecting it.

Color: bright red gills; bright shiny skin Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Color: bright red gills; bright shiny skin Texture: firm flesh that springs back when touched Odor: mild ocean or seaweed smell Eyes: bright, clear, full Packaging: product surrounded by crushed, self-draining ice Color: dull gray gills; dull dry skin Texture: soft flesh that leaves an imprint when touched Odor: strong fishy or ammonia smell Eyes: cloudy, red-rimmed, sunken Product: tumors, abscesses, or cysts on the skin

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Odor: mild ocean or seaweed smell Shells: closed and unbroken, indicating that the shellfish are alive Condition: if fresh, they must be received alive Texture: slimy, sticky or dry Odor: strong fishy smell Shells: excessively muddy or broken shells Condition: dead on arrival (open shells that do not close when tapped)

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Odor: mild ocean or seaweed smell Condition: shipped alive, packed in seaweed, and kept moist Odor: strong fishy smell Condition: dead on arrival

Texture: slimy, sticky, or dry Odor: sour odor Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Color: Beef: bright, cherry red; aged beef may be darker; vacuum-packed beef will appear purplish Lamb: light red Pork: light pink meat; firm, white fat Texture: firm flesh that springs back when touched Odor: no odor Packaging: intact and clean Color: Beef: brown or green Lamb: brown, whitish surface covering the lean meat Pork: excessively dark color; soft or rancid fat Texture: slimy, sticky, or dry Odor: sour odor Packaging: broken cartons; dirty wrappers; torn packaging; broken seals

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Color: no discoloration Texture: firm flesh that springs back when touched Odor: no odor Packaging: should be surrounded by crushed, self-draining ice Color: purple or green discoloration around the neck; dark wing tips (red are acceptable) Texture: stickiness under the wings and around joints Odor: abnormal, unpleasant odor

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Odor: no odor Shells: clean and unbroken Odor: sulfur smell or off odor Shells: dirty or cracked

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Milk: sweetish flavor Butter: sweet flavor; uniform color; firm texture Cheese: typical flavor and texture; uniform color; clean and unbroken rind Milk: sour, bitter, or moldy taste; off odor; expired sell-by date Butter: sour, bitter, or moldy taste; uneven color; soft texture; contains foreign matter Cheese: abnormal flavor or texture; uneven color; unnatural mold; unclean or broken rind

Accept Criteria Reject Criteria Temperature: varies according to product Condition: varies according to product Condition: evidence of mishandling or insects (including insect eggs and egg cases) Spoilage: mold, cuts, wilting, unpleasant odors, discoloration, etc. (will depend on produce involved)